The first event of the IronNotes consortium series is hosted by LAB in Lappeenranta, Finland, focusing on education. With four educational partners, the event emphasizes the future of blacksmithing through education and knowledge sharing. The theme of remembering and memorizing ties the activities together, with additional focuses on public art, employment, and the future.

LAB is organizing a seminar exploring public art, highlighting the role of metal objects. Local company ME-talli Oy and Oslo’s KHiO contribute their expertise in public art projects. The Biennale Art Fabbrile Association from Italy shares its long history of passing on blacksmithing skills through its Forging School, which also supports local employment.

The event includes keynote speeches, demos, and various activities for the public, such as cemetery walks and iron-related demonstrations. Workshops for international makers and students will develop ideas for travelling memorials, resulting in artworks and concepts for jewelry and public art. The discussions will also explore how modern technology can enhance the spirit of iron.

With a funding from Creative Europe, this research project explores future opportunities for blacksmiths to revitalize the market between blacksmith and local graveyards.

Grave markers crafted by local blacksmiths provide a sustainable and meaningful way to honor loved ones. These markers are durable, unique works of art tailored to individual needs, supporting local economies and preserving regional traditions.

However, global industry has marginalized blacksmiths, leading to the loss of regional cultures and traditions. As society shifts towards digital memorials, the importance of preserving local traditions and creating new rituals grows.

The research project includes a conference scheduled for October 2025 and a Call for Papers for a competition. This competition invites innovative concepts for grave markers crafted by blacksmiths, highlighting their unique qualities and addressing contemporary challenges.

The Oslo National Academy of the Arts’ participation in the IronNotes project is highly significant for Norway’s artistic community, particularly those working with metal. The project aims to foster reflections, dialogues, and exchanges on the definitions and relationships between objects and humans, focusing on contemporary perspectives of metal artists.

Key activities include discussions on the shape, tridimensionality, and metaphorical interpretations of objects, inspired by social, cultural, and artistic backgrounds. The project will explore the technical, material, and conceptual values of objects, and how tradition, culture, and history influence their creation. It will also address how artists work with limited equipment and facilities.

A central symposium, featuring material demonstrations and discussion sessions, will redefine what constitutes an art object, considering functional, aesthetic, and symbolic aspects. The project emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of materials like iron and their daily significance.

Overall, the project is academically relevant, encouraging participants to view metalworking from artistic, technical, and traditional perspectives. It will also explore the evolving definitions and roles of objects in our lives, particularly in the Metal and Art Jewelry Subject Area at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

The event in Estonia, hosted by EKA, will take place in Tallinn and Narva. It begins with a workshop in Tallinn, including a tour of Soviet monuments at the History Museum, followed by a study trip to Eastern-Estonian Soviet memorials, and concludes at Narva Art Residency. The event, titled “How we remember,” focuses on memory and mourning, exploring the rich memorial sites and WWII monuments in Narva and Ida-Viru County.

Given the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the event will address how European countries should approach Soviet monuments. It aims to balance the historical significance of these monuments with the feelings of local Russian communities. Discussions will include ethical considerations for public art, responsibilities of blacksmiths and sculptors, and the impact of historical monuments on cultural identity.

The event will feature thematic workshops, seminars, public concerts, and exhibition openings. It will bring together artist-blacksmiths, historians, art theorists, and local communities to discuss historical paradoxes, post-colonial tendencies, and radicalism. The seminar talks will be streamed online to reach a wider audience, emphasizing the value of public art from the communist era and exploring future memorial designs.